THE NECESSITY OF A NEW STRATEGY TO FIGHT AGAINST DRUG TRAFFICKING
THE NECESSITY OF A NEW STRATEGY TO FIGHT AGAINST DRUG TRAFFICKING

Summary/Abstract: The fight against drugs has become a leitmotif of the modern world. However, despite huge financial and human efforts worldwide, the phenomenon of drug trafficking and illicit drug use has not declined significantly. In 2011, the Global Commission on Drug Policy (GCDP) acknowledged that the global fight against drugs had failed. Awareness of this failure led to an analysis of the foundations of the classic anti-drug policy, looking for the reasons that generated the inefficiency of the traditional vision regarding the fight against drugs. It was found that, in essence, traditional anti-drug policies were based on three elements: the eradication of drug production, the annihilation of distribution networks and the prohibition of drug use. In the context of the failure of the traditional conception, another solution is emerging, namely to decrease the demand for drugs. Such a paradigm shift is radical, but necessary, since traditional anti-drug policies have failed and the disastrous consequences of drug trafficking are forcing us to find efficient solutions. The European Union is a pioneer of this new paradigm, as it considers reducing the negative consequences of drug use to be a public health problem and, in the spirit of this idea, provides care for drug users. The real challenge, however, is a massive reduction in drug demand, which would indeed be a long-term solution to the drug problem. It is considered that the best way to reduce the demand for drugs is to raise public awareness of the negative effects of drug use, but effective ways are still being sought to achieve this goal. In parallel with the implementation of this new paradigm, activities specific to traditional anti-drug policy are still needed, in particular those related to the fight against drug trafficking networks.

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